


Take it All Away

by coldcutcalamity



Category: LeviHan - Fandom, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-16 11:58:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1346641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldcutcalamity/pseuds/coldcutcalamity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suddenly, the future does not seem so bleak anymore. Especially when you have someone to share it with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take it All Away

“You think there’ll be titans?”

“For our sakes, I hope not.”

The vast blue sky laid overhead, the lovely image of a hot summer’s day. It hadn’t been long since they left the Walls in the morning, and now it was already close to midday. It never crossed his mind how fast time passed by when they are out on expeditions. Perhaps being free from the confines of the great walls creates a temporal dissonance with the passage of time. It seemed like everything else fell into a standstill while they rode free.

Being on the field, nothing else mattered except for one sole purpose.

To free mankind.

It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as the flesh was torn out from the napes of their necks. Nothing beats the feel of warm blood trickling down your hands as it dissipates into an odorless vapour. Spilling each drop was cathartic, a validation that humanity would live to see the dawn of a new day.

A future.

“What are you thinking about?”

He could feel the woman beside him shifting her position, wanting to get a better look at his face. It never occurred to him that lying on the grass like this would have a calming effect. Come to think of it, he never had the opportunity to slow down and just do regular, mundane things like this. Perhaps if life had been different, he could see himself indulging in such trivialities once in a while.

Levi turned his gaze towards Hanji and took in the view of her face. Her sun-kissed skin showed signs of freckles forming near the apples of her cheeks. It surprised him how it gave off a youthful effect on her countenance. Her caramel brown hair was tousled and a couple of strands were falling over her eyes. Levi would have tucked them away but he decided not to. He wanted to remember her as she was now, as how she had always been. Carefree and beautiful.

“I’m just wondering if it’s going to hurt…”

He said in a quiet voice. He saw her expression change to one of worry and he placed a kiss on top of her forehead to reassure her. He then saw her close her eyes and allowed the steady rhythm of his breathing to calm her senses.

When did he start to care so much about her?

Frankly, he was unable to single out a particular day or event in which he came into realization, but he knew that she had been a significant presence in his life from the start.

He came into the scouting legion with no expectations, having been forced into the service against his will and without much choice. It was either the death penalty or selling his life to an eternity of servitude. He may have been a hot-headed runt in his youth and rough around the edges, but he knew when to admit defeat. So he chose the lesser of two evils. There was still more that he wanted to see and do before he kicked the bucket, even if it meant being the lapdog of the military.

Not keen on making new acquaintances, he kept to Farlan and Isabelle most of the time and barely talked to anyone else. It was Hanji who first approached him on the day after their first expedition outside the walls. It had been an intense experience for the new recruits, having to deal with their first kill and also, the death of their squad mates. They would have lost more recruits than usual but thanks to Levi’s quick thinking and level-headed disposition; they were saved from a brutal massacre. Once the remaining survivors were back in their barracks and cleaning out their equipment, Hanji was the first person who dared to march straight up to him and strike a conversation. It started off with a simple introduction on her part, in which he mostly ignored. But seeing how her enthusiasm of his combat prowess was not about to fade away anytime soon, he kept his answers short and curt, hoping that she would get the hint and leave him alone.

But days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Soon, they had almost spent 3 years in the legion. Throughout it all, Hanji had eventually become a part of their small group. Everyone got along well and Levi learnt to be more tolerant to her quirks and sudden bursts of enthusiasm. However, he had always thought that her Titan research would have gotten more sponsorship if she joined the Military Police.

“Why would I want to be in the MP?” She exclaimed in disbelief. “I’d only let my skills go to waste, guarding that useless chunk of a monarch.”

He smirked at her words and noticed the other two trying hard to contain their laughter.

“You’re interested in uncovering the truth behind the titans right?” He asked in a dry voice. “Wouldn’t joining the MP provide you with better funding for your research?”

“Yeah, but what’s the point when I can’t study my specimens up close?”

“I just thought it would be a better option.”

“You can’t wait to get rid of me, huh?” She pouted at him jokingly. “I don’t like the idea of being stuck behind these walls. And besides, you’re not the only one with inner demons to face.”

 It was true. He saw the way her eyes turn dark whenever they were out on the battlefield. The way her face lost its easy expression and shift to one that was full of buried scorn. The first time he saw her took down an aberrant single-handedly made him wondered where she had been hiding such raw and fearsome strength.

However it was the deaths of Farlan and Isabelle which marked a shift in their relationship. The loss of his two childhood friends had affected him more than he would ever admit. Their absence grieved him deeply till he lost touch with his surroundings. He remembered going through the regular motions without fully paying attention to the things around him. He only knew that he felt empty and that he needed something to fill up the hollowness in him. He did so by throwing himself more fervently into his missions until it took a toll upon his body. Hanji noticed this change in him and it worried her. She took it to herself to look after him in his time of need and patiently stayed by his side.

Looking back at his life, it became clear to him that it didn’t matter when he started falling for her. All that mattered was that she was there throughout his ups and downs. It was miserable how only when the end was near, the thought of wanting to put his feelings into words seemed important all of a sudden. But somehow, he knew that it was not necessary. She probably already knew.

He noticed that it had turned quiet, too quiet. Her shallow breaths were no longer heard and it took every inch of his control to not call out her name. There was still so much he wanted to tell her, so much. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to escape and took a deep breath. Reaching over for her hand, he placed it on the left of his chest, right above the heart. He decided that it was best that he left sadness behind and focused on what was ahead for him. In a few moments, he would be happy again. He would get to meet Farlan and Isabelle again. He would get to meet his late mother again. And most of all, he smiled at the thought of her face greeting him the next time he woke up.

He would get to see her again, shortly. They would have all the time in the world to lie on the grass like this again.

And this time, there would no longer be titans.

_Wait for me, Hanji._

**Author's Note:**

> Because where there is life, death shall lurk in every corner.


End file.
